Youre told to take vitamins, drink plenty of water, get a good nights sleep and exercise, but has anyone ever told you that the design of your home and office can impact your health? You wouldnt be alone in raising an eyebrow and questioning how this could be so, but thousands of years ago, the ancient seers of India spent entire lifetimes observing how man-made structures impact humans beings. Their findings were compiled into a body of knowledge called Vastu Shastra.

In Sanskrit, Vastu means science and Shastra means architecture. It is from this environmental science that some of the worlds most enduring structures were created.

According to Vastu, all five elements in nature (earth, water, fire, air and space) are in perfect balance. When we build, this delicate balance is disrupted, which can cause a wide range of physical problems from poor sleep to major illnesses.

You might have experienced this if youve ever remodeled or moved into a new home and suddenly your health got worse for no apparent reason. If you work with the natural laws inherent in the universe rather than against them, you can align these five elements to your advantage. This is what Vastu Shastra is all about, and the affects on your health and well-being can be dramatic.

We have worked with clients all over the world using this powerful architectural science. We hear wonderful stories of how Vastu has changed peoples lives. Health is one of the top challenges people come to us about. We find that there is always some reason for the problems they are having that becomes apparent when we do an environmental analysis, either of their residence or their place of work.

Heres just one example of how directly our environment can influence our lives: A Boeing executive who lives in the Madison Park neighborhood was living with the consequences of diabetes, which had compromised his health to the point he was on dialysis. He was growing weaker from multiple, unsuccessful operations before we performed a Vastu analysis on his home.

Our consultation showed major imbalances in his living environment, which contributed to his health problems. After making the changes needed to rectify this situation, both he and his wife reported that his health had improved, he was stronger and that they both felt an enhanced sense of well-being.

As a part of this earth, we live in a sea of electromagnetic and stellar influences. Every shift produced in the atmosphere has the potential to affect our actions and emotions. Every particle of energy in the universe is linked to the next particle. Nothing happens in a vacuum. We are all striving for balance and this cannot take place when there is environmental stress.

Stress comes when there is clutter, poor layout or design, lack of light, improper air circulation or when the environment is not aligned with true North.

When the environment is out of balance, you can experience a lack of energy, back problems, mental instability, stomach problems, learning disabilities, emotional imbalances and financial difficulties.

Unfortunately, most modern architecture is based on function alone and is not designed in harmony with the forces of nature, which influence our health, happiness and overall well-being. When our environments are designed to conquer nature, there is no question we will feel stressed. The beauty of Vastu is that it specifically balances living and working environments without costly structural changes and does it in ways that can improve the quality of our lives.